By MEGGIE. I. FOSTER
Assistant Editor COLUMBUS, Ohio — Never one to shy away from a little hard work or dirt under her nails, Brittany Barker, of Columbus, Ind. spent countless hours preparing for the recent All-American Quarter Horse Congress Queen competition. And on Oct. 17, Barker’s tireless efforts paid off as she accepted the crown and the prestigious title of 2010 Congress Queen.
“It wasn’t about the money, having a name or knowing the right people,” said Barker, 26, who began her career showing horses as a young 4-Her in central Indiana. “There is so much work and dedication that went into getting to this point.”
In fact, in order to prepare for the queen competition that includes a written test (40 percent), interview (40 percent) and horsemanship class (20 percent), Barker made nearly 2,000 flashcards to prepare for the test portion of the contest. Also, six months in advance of the contest, she recorded all of those flashcards on CDs to make use of any available study time on the road.
“Whenever we were going somewhere together, I’d hand my mom or boyfriend a pile of flashcards and have them quiz me,” she said, further explaining that the test features 100 questions from the 270-page American Quarter Horse Assn. (AQHA) rule book. “It was very important to me. It’s extremely technical, lots of numbers and lots of dates.
“Generally, whoever wins the test, wins the contest,” Barker mentioned, adding that the evening of the test, she stayed up studying until the wee hours of the morning and even woke up early to review cards she missed during her late-night study session.
Barker placed first in the written test.
For the interview portion of the competition, Barker recruited the help of seasoned pageant competitor - 2010 Miss Indiana USA Allison Biehle.
“She did mock interviews with me to prep me for the interview,” said Barker. “The funny thing about it is that I woke up the morning of the interview with no voice and I came out of it in third place. I had no idea how they were going to take me with no voice.”
Apparently, even without her usual cheery voice, they liked her quite well.
For the horsemanship test, which includes a pattern provided by the judges, Barker said she was fortunate to be able to ride her own horse.
“Many of the queen contestants don’t have a horse to ride for the horsemanship pattern, so they borrow someone else’s horse,” she explained.
Barker and her buckskin gelding – Bud Light Please (known fondly as Murphy) – have been a winning team for the past three years, she added.
In fact, in 2008 and 2009, Barker and Bud Light Please won 11 world championship titles and six reserve world championships. Also, Barker won the 2008 and 2009 American Buckskin Registry Assn. (ABRA) World Show All-Around Amateur and All-Around Open. She was also the 2008 and 2009 ABRA National High-Point Amateur; and in 2009, Bud Light Please was named the ABRA High-Point Senior Horse.
“I remember sitting there and watching all the other girls complete their patterns and starting to pick mine apart,” she said, mentioning that she followed 20 queen contestants in the horsemanship competition. “When I walked out of the arena after I completed my pattern, I was bombarded by people telling me how great we did.”
Turns out her friends and family were right. Barker won the horsemanship class, too.
Overall, Barker scored the highest in all three categories meaning only one thing – she would serve as the 2010 All-American Quarter Horse Congress Queen. In addition to the title itself in history, Barker will take home nearly 100,000 in prizes including two crowns, a diamond ring, a two-horse trailer, manure spreader, custom-made silver show saddle, hunt seat saddle, clothing, boots, jewelry, a western hat and various show supplies. But her very favorite of all of the gifts to take home is called a stall butler, a battery-powered stall cleaning device that sifts shavings from droppings.
“I was pretty excited about that one,” gushed Barker.
As Congress queen, Barker will be required to reign at the National Snaffle Bit Assn. World Show in Tulsa, Okla.; AQHA Youth World Show in Oklahoma City, Okla.; Reichert Celebration in Tulsa; Dixie National Rodeo and Livestock Show in Jackson, Miss.; and of course the All-American Quarter Horse Congress in Columbus.
“I will attend various other major events throughout the year and make appearances at other locations not on the list as well,” she said.
In her new role, Barker hopes to make a difference in the Quarter Horse industry and inspire other horse enthusiasts.
“I hope that I will be able to inspire someone who doesn’t have horses, but wants to be involved in the industry or someone that just wants to be more involved,” she said. “I’ve been in the industry for a long time and now I’m getting to see it from another angle.”
Before teaming up with Bud Light Please, Barker had a successful ride with a grey Quarter Horse gelding named Kay Cee Me Now. With Kay Cee Me Now, Barker won many championship and high point honors including AQHA World Champion and Congress Reserve Champion in Amateur Western Riding in 2004.
After the World show, Barker was forced to put down her beloved gelding, when the horse suffered from a severe case of laminitis. Barker’s earliest showing winning was in 1994, when at 10 years old, she won the title of Indiana State Fair Champion Pony with a pony named Calico Pie.
Even though, preparing for the Congress queen competition consumed much of her free time for the past six months, she said it was all worth it in the end.
“It was a lot of hours of hard work,” she said. “But it was so worth it. It’s been very rewarding – the people you meet – it’s been fun. I’m very much looking forward to the next year.”
In fact, Barker, who is finishing a double major in agricultural sales and service and business management from Dickinson State University, will help conduct local 4-H clinics in Columbus, as she always has. But now instead of being introduced as Brittany Barker, she will be presented as the 2010 American Quarter Horse Congress Queen.
“I’m pretty proud of that,” she said. |
